Several members of the Creative Growth community are featured in Community Ignition: Partnership and Artmaking in the Disability Arts Community at the New Museum Los Gatos. Artist Susan Janow has a piece that will be presented alongside pieces by Board member Katherine Sherwood and Artist Facilitator, Madelyn Covey, which were inspired by Susan's work. Artist Facilitator Anne Meade and Artist Nicole Storm will lead a community Weaving project, and Artist Dan Miller and his Sister Cara Miller will present their collaborative work.
opening reception details
Date Saturday, October 17, 2026
Time 12-4 PM
Location NUMU | 106 E. Main Street, Los Gatos, CA, 95030
Cost Free with registration
Register
Join us at NUMU and Creative Growth to celebrate the opening of Community Ignition, a group exhibition showcasing how art is created in the Disability Arts Community: in communities, through conversation and support, through interdependence, and within systems of care.
The reception will include live artwork demonstrations, drop-in activities, and more.
Maia Scott's labyrinth installation, "You, &" invites visitors to add objects using provided hook-and-loop adhesive during the opening reception and during the run of the exhibit. The work brings together little things that lost their way, including things found on a journey, broken, or left in the dark corners of drawers. If you plan on attending, consider bringing something bigger than a silver dollar and smaller than a smartphone.
Schedule
12 PM: Doors open
12 PM-4 PM: Guide dog training
12 PM-4 PM: “You, &” labyrinth activation
12:30 PM: Remarks
12:45 PM: Artist Q&A
2-4 PM: Live weaving
3-4 PM: “Telephone” screening
NUMU strives to be an accessible organization by accommodating the needs of all our constituents. The museum's building is ADA-compliant. There is a ramp to enter the Civic Center Plaza starting at the Los Gatos Library’s parking lot. There are no inclines between the lot behind the museum and the museum’s side entrance. The museum has a publicly accessible elevator, ADA-compliant restrooms on both floors, and a wheelchair and fidget toys are available to borrow when visiting. Should you have any accessibility concerns, please email visit@numulosgatos.org.
Exhibition Details
Community Ignition: Partnership and Artmaking in the Disability Arts Community
Exhibition Details:
October 16, 2026 – March 21, 2027
Location:
NUMU New Museum Los Gatos
106 E. Main StreetLos Gatos, CA 95030
The goal of this project is to highlight the Disability Arts Community as a way to reveal how art can be created: in communities, through conversation and support, through interdependence, and within systems of care. The concept of interdependence, or mutual reliance, celebrates asking for assistance, and honors the collaboration that is often present in artistic practice. NUMU provides a venue for conversation and learning to shift perspectives and develop awareness of disability culture and artists with disabilities.
“Access needs aren’t shameful – we all function differently depending on context and environment. Access needs can be articulated and met privately, through a collective, or in community, depending upon an individual’s needs, desires and the capacity of the group.” – Skin, Tooth and Bone: The Basis of Movement is Our People, a Disability Justice Primer by Sins Invalid
Museums often construct a false separation between art created by artists with disabilities (disabled artists) and artists who do not expressly identify with disability. This exhibition disrupts that expectation by acknowledging that identity is intersectional and that creativity is informed by an artist’s lived experience. NUMU presents art that is made by, for and in collaboration with artists in the Disability Arts Community, celebrating the richness and diversity of the collective.
This project was developed with the support of an advisory group including individuals who identify as disabled, as well as allies who work to support and bring visibility to disability culture.
Exhibiting artists include: Madelyn Covey, Jillian Crochet, Leeza Doreian, Daniel Green, Susan Janow, Andrew Li, Tenaya Lovelace, Cara Miller, Dan Miller, Leroy Moore, Shawn Sanders, Maia Scott, Katherine Sherwood, Heather Shaw, Anthony Tusler, Jonathan Velasquez, and Krishna Washburn, and others. Co-curated by Maia Scott, Katherine Sherwood, and NUMU Curator Allison Railo.
About new museum los gatos
New Museum Los Gatos (NUMU), formerly the Museums of Los Gatos, founded in 1965, is a public non-profit art and history museum located in the Civic Center Plaza in downtown Los Gatos. NUMU has gone through many transformations throughout our history as part of the Los Gatos community. Here's the backstory:
The Museums of Los Gatos sprang from the inspiration of resident, Dr. Ethel Dana, who felt that no town could be complete without a museum. In May 1965 the Town of Los Gatos agreed to lease the vacated firehouse at the corner of Main Street and Tait Avenue to the Los Gatos Museum Association for $1 per year. A fund drive was conducted and the town merchants contributed materials to refurbish the interior of the firehouse. After volunteers converted the building, The Los Gatos Museum opened its doors with ceremonies on May 20, 1967. The Forbes Mill Museum, the remaining two-story annex of James Alexander Forbes’ flour mill completed in 1854, housed the history collections, displayed in permanent and temporary exhibitions. The first artifact donated to the Museum was a money vest from the 1849 Gold Rush, given by George Lagormarsino, Alice McCammon, and William Allaway who also donated the mineral and gem collections. The Association was incorporated for the purpose of bringing the natural history, art, and history of Los Gatos and the region to the public. The Museum celebrated its 50th Anniversary in 2015, which culminated in its opening in June as New Museum Los Gatos (NUMU) at the Los Gatos Civic Center Plaza.